Clothes-pin.



No. 869,648 PATEETED JULY 9. 1907..

- J. A. FREEZE.

CLOTHES PIN.

nruuuxon FILED sEET. 4, 1906.

WITNESSES E t V v A TTOR/VE VS UNITED STATES t JOHN A. FREEZE, OF MASON, TEXAS.

CLOTHES-PIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. July 9, 1907.

Application filed September 4:, 1906. erial No. 333,207.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. FREEZE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mason in the county of Mason and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Clothes-Pin, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clothes pins and has for its object to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive device of this character having a pair of spring clamping fingers adapted to engage the garment or garments and hold the same in position on the line.

A further object of the invention is to provide a metallic clothes pin formed of a single piece of wire an intermediate portion of which is twisted to produce an operating handle terminating in a depending garment engaging loop, the ends of the wire being extended upwardly between the walls of the loop for engagement with the garment.

A still further object of the invention is to generally improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efliciency as well as to reduce the cost of manufacture.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a clothes line showing a clothes pin constructed in accordance with my invention in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the clothes pins detached.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The improved clothes pin is preferably formed of a single piece of wire an intermediate portion of which is bent upon itself and the wire strands intertwisted and extended laterally to form a loop or operating handle 5.

The strands constituting one wall of the loop 5 are bent laterally at 6 and extended upwardly to form a pair of substantially parallel arms 7, the wire at the free ends of the arms being twisted to form co-incident coils 8 and thence extended downwardly to form a garment engaging loop 9 the end of which is deflected laterally as indicated at 10.

The strands of wire constituting the opposite wall of the handle 5 are coiled around the base of the arms 7, to form eyes 11, and thence extended upwardly between the arms 7 and loop 9 to form a pair of spring clamping lingers 12 adapted to engage the garment 13 and clamp the latter in engagement with the adjacent walls of the loop 9, the free ends of the fingers 12 being extended rearwardly and downwardly to form coincident eyes 14; In operation the pin is positioned on the line over the garment and pressed downwardly until the eyes or loops 14; clear the line 15 when the spring fingers 12 will be forced laterally against the garment thus effectually clamping the latter in engagement with the walls of the loop 9, as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. In order to remove the clothes pin it is merely necessary to exert a slight upward pressure on the handle 5 when the eyes 14 by engagement with the line 15 will move the spring clamping fingers to inoperative position and thus permit the pin to be readily detached.

Attention is called to the fact that the spring coils 8 not only serve to yieldably support the loop 9 in engagement with the garment but by engagement with the line 15 serve to limit the downward movement of the pin. It will also be observed that the deflected portion 10 of the spring clamping loop 9 acts as a guide when positioning the pin on the line and also servesv to prevent the loop from tearing or otherwise injuring the garment.

By having the wire strands coiled around the base of the arms 7 in the manner described the pin is not only reinforced and strengthened but the arms 7 are maintained in parallel position and the spring fingers locked against lateral displacement.

The clothes pins may be made in different sizes and shapes and may be galvanized, nickled or otherwise coated to protect the same against the action of the elements.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that there is provided an extremely simple, inexpensive and efficient device admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends in view.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A clothes pin comprising a handle provided with spaced arms terminating in 1 depending yieldably supported garment engaging loop, and spring fingers disposed between the walls of the loop for clamping a garment in engagement therewith, there being eyes disposed at the juncture of the handle and fingers for the reception of the arms.

2. A clothes pin formed of a single piece of wire anintermediate portion of which is bent upon itself and the wire strands intertwisted and extended laterally to form a handle, the strands of wire forming one wall of the handle being extended upwardly to form substantially 5 parallel arms and thence twisted to produce co-incident coils terminating in a depending garment engaging loop the free end of which is deflected laterally, the strands of wire forming" the opposite wall of the handle being coiled around the base of the arms and thence extended upwardly 10 between the walls of the depending loop to form a pair of spring fingers adapted to clamp the garment in engagment with said loop, the free ends of the fingers terminating in co-incident eyes.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two 15 witnesses.

JOHN A. FREEZE. Witnesses:

HENRY RAINES,

O. C. MCWILLIAMS. 

